Just when I thought we had a winner for the loss aversion contest–the proposal that the teacher threaten to kill the children’s favorite pet–another reader sent this magazine cover from 1973.
How ever will we motivate teachers now, if neither incentives nor threats work?
We might try reading Daniel Pink or Edward Deci or Dan Ariely. They say that professionals work best when they are allowed to exercise autonomy, when they are driven by a sense of professionalism and idealism.
But don’t expect our policymakers in Washington and the state capitols to listen to wisdom.
Diane Ravitch's blog 
And don’t expect policymakers to refrain from “institutionalizing” autonomy and professionalism–that is, mandating them and creating to-do lists.
http://www.cronknews.com/2012/07/19/higher-ed-managers-implement-ambitious-drive-strategies-following-book-discussion/
(I didn’t write this piece, but I enjoyed it.)
I appreciated Diane’s satirical comments about maybe threatening to cut off teachers fingers when test scores don’t rise at her speech in Detroit regarding “Loss Aversion.”
My thought: What if, instead of offering me the $4,000-$8,000 they offered the teachers in the study, they offered to use that money to buy my students the basic materials and textbooks they don’t already have? Then, when the study was over – they could take back the materials back at the end of the year, WHETHER SCORES IMPROVED OR NOT!!! And then they could try the same experiment over again the next year, and the next, and the next…
http://www.anurbanteacherseducation.com/2012/07/loss-aversion-paying-teacher-more-and.html
Well, this has been fun, but the realities of loss aversion choice are more tragic than comic —
► Sophie’s Choice
the best attack is humor and derision, not reason. They don’t listen to humor. Maybe they’ll seek to avoid derision.
I loved the humor! Gotta have some to get through the day!
maybe if we continue to ridicule some of these crazy ideas, they will be laughed out of town.